Louis



K. S. HOWARD.

TROLLEY FRAME.

APPLICATION man JULY 12, 1919.

Patented May 3, 1921.

3 SHEETSSHEEI 1.

M N E h K. S. HOWARD.

TROLLEY FRAME.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 11. 1919.

Patented May 3, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

fiwen'ior xfarl. ,5- Howard.

K. S. HOWARD.

TROLL E'Y FRAME.

APPLICATION FlLED 1ULY17,19I9.

1,376,881 Patented May 3,1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

' Hm 5110mm! UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

KARL S. HOWARD, OF ST.- LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR T0 COMMONWEALTH STEEL COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

TROLLEY-FRAME.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 3, 1921.

Application filed July 17, 1919. Serial No. 311,479.

To all whom it may concern,-

Be it known that I, KARL S. HOWARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Trolley-Frames, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in trolleys. of the type operating on overhead structures and utilized for lifting and conveying from one point to another, relatively heavy objects such as large castings, machinery, ladles of molten metal and the like, and which trolleys, it will be understood, are usually equipped with a driving motor, cable sheaves and drums, gearing for operating said sheaves and drums, and a motor for operating said gearing. Y

The principal object of my invention is to form, preferably by casting, the trolley frame and the lower portions of the gear casings in a single piece, thereby providing a very strong, rigid and compact structure, and eliminating the time, labor and expense involved in producing and assembling a fabricated or multiple piece. frame.

A furtherobject of my invention is to generally improve upon and simplify the construction of the existing forms of trolleys of the type to which my invention relates, and particularly to arrange the bearings for the various shafts carried by the trolley frame, on the upper portion of the latter so that the various sheaves, drums and gears will occupy positions where they are readily accessible for the purposes of inspection, adjustment and repair.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a top plan view of a trolley provided with a frame of my improved construction and with the upper portions of the gear and sheave housings removed.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the trolley frame with the upper portions of the gear and sheave housings positioned there upon.

Fig. 3 1s a plan view of the one-piece trolley frame constructed in accordance with my nvention.

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view taken ap proximately on the line 4l-4c of Fig. 3.

Flg. 5 is a cross sectional view taken approximately on the line 5--5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 1s a cross sectional view taken approxlmately on the line 6-6 of Fig. 3.

As will be noted in the accompanying drawings, the main frame of the trolley when viewed in plan, is a substantially rectan'gular structure, the same including a pair of side members 10 which are substant ally box-shape in cross section and provided at suitable points throughout their length with transversely disposed webs 11. These slde members 10 are integrally connected at one end by a wall or rail 12 and the upper portions of the opposite ends of said side members are connected by a horizontally disposed plate 13.

Formed integral with and depending from this plate 13 is a pair of transversely disposed webs 14 and 15, the latter forming the end wall or rail of the one-piece structure on the opposite end from rail 12. Extending from the end rail 12 to web 14 and arranged parallel with the side members 10 is a vertically disposed web or wall 16, the same being located a short distance from one of said side members 10 and extending over the space between the inner end of the web 16 and the adjacent side member 10 is a horizontally disposed plate 17, the same being a continuation of plate 13.

The elongated rectangular space between web or wall 16, the adjacent side member 10, end rail 12, and edge of plate 17 constitute awell or pocket 18 that is occupied by gearing, hereinafter more fully described, and said well or pocket is provided with a bottom plate 19 so that it will retain oil or liquid lubricant.

Formed in the top of side member 10 near the center of this well or pocket 18 is a bearing 20 which receives one end of a end rail 12 and web 14 is an integrally formedrail 25. Arranged between the rail 25 and web 14 adjacent to the side member 10 provided with the bearing 22 1S a rail 26 and the space between said rail and the ad jacent side member 10 constitutes a well or pocket 27 for wearing hereinafter more fully described. The end of this well or pocket 27 is extended into the adjacent side member 10 as designated by 28 to form a well or pocket 'for the accommodation of gearing, and the lower portions of the wells or pockets 27 and 28 are provided with a bottom plate'29 in order that said wells or pockets may serve as containers for oil or liquid lubricant.

' Formed integral with and projecting outwardly from the central portion of side member10 that is provided with the hearing 22 is a bracket 30 in which is formed a well or pocket 31 and formed in the top of the outer portion of this bracket, the tops of the eentralportions of members 10 and the. tops of web 16 and rail 26 are alined bearings 32 inwhich is mounted for rotation a shaft 33. Fixed on this shaft within the well or pocket 18 and meshing with gear wheel 23 is a pinion 34 andloosely mounted on'said shaft and arranged within the well or pocket,,27 is a gear wheel 35. Secured to this gear wheel is a part of a friction clutch 36 that is positioned in well or pocket 31 and-the opposite portion of this clutch being fixed upon shaft 33 and provided with suitable operating mechanism (not shown). 7 v

' The shaft 33 is retained in its bearings by suitable plates 37, the same being secured to the parts 10,16, 26 and 30 in any suitable manner.

Formed integral with web 14 between web 16 andtrail 26 are brackets 38 in which are formed alined bearings 39 and held for operation therein by suitable plates 40 is a shaft 41 on which is mounted pairs of cable receiving sheaves 42. Formed in the upper portions of rail 26 and the adjacent side member 10 andbetween the bearings 32 and web 14 are bearings 43 in which is rotatably mounted a short shaft 44. FiXed on this shaft is apinion 45 which meshes with gear wheel-35 and fixed on said shaft and occupying the extension28 of the well or pocket 27 is a gear Wheel 46.

' Securedin any suitable manner upon plate 13'is an electric motor 47, the shaft thereofbeingjournaled in suitable bearings 48'formed on top of member 10 that is provided with the bearing 22 and fixed on this shaft and meshing with gear wheel 46 is a pinion 49. Projecting outwardly from side member 10 that is provided with hearing 20 and opposite to the plate 13 is a bracket 50 in which is formed a well or pocket 51 and formed in the upper portion of this bracket are bearings 52 for a shaft 53.

Positioned on plate 17 is an electric motor 54 and carried by the shaft thereof is a pinion 55 which meshes with a gear wheel, 56, the latter being fixed on shaft and disposed within the well or pocket 51. Fixed on shaft 53 is a pinion 57, the same meshing with a gear wheel 58. and which in suitable bearings 60 formed on the lower portions of side members 10 and fixed on said axles are flanged track engaging wheels 61.

Gear wheels 23 and are inclosed by a removable cover 62 and the gears and pinions 35, 45, 46, and 49 are inclosed by removable covers 63. Clutch 62 is inclosed by a remov able cover 64, and gears and pinions 56. 57 and 58 are inclosed by a removable cover 65. Thus it will be seen that all of the gearing. of my improved trolley with the exception of gear wheel 58, is disposed at the top of the trolley frame where it is readily accessible for inspection and repairs, and like.- wise the cable drum and sheaves and the electric motors are positioned so that they are readily accessible.

To wind or unwind the cable operating on drum 24, motor 47 is operated by turning on the current thereto and pinion 4-9 carried by the motor shaft drive gear wheel 46 and this rotary motion is transmitted through pinion 45 to gear wheel 35, the latter being loosely mounted on shaft 33. Clutch 3G is manipulated in the usual manner to lock gear wheel 35 to shaft 33 and as the latter is driven, rotary motion is transmitted through pinion 34 and gear wheel 23 to shaft 21 and winding drum 24 carried thereby.

To move the trolley along its supporting track, current is delivered to motor 54 and the rotary motion of the motor shaft is transmitted through pinion gear wheel 56, pinion 57, and gear wheel 58 to the wheel carrying axle 59 upon which said gear wheel 58 is located.

A trolley frame of my improved construetionis comparatively simple, and as said frame is cast in a single piece, it has great strength and rigidity and as the time, labor and expense ordinarily involved in producing and assembling a fabricated structure is wholly eliminated, said frame can be very easily and cheaply manufactured.

It will be readily understood that minor changes in the size, form and construction of the various parts of my improved trolley frame can be made and substituted for those herein shown and described, without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a trolley frame cast in a single piece, bearings formed on the underside of said frame and adapted to receive wheel carrying axles, and bearings formed on the top of said frame and adapted to receive a winding drum shaft and the shafts of the driving connections for said drum carrying shaft.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a trol: ley frame cast in a single piece and provided in its upper portions with pockets adapted to receive parts of the operating mechanism carried by said frame, journal boxes formed on top of the frame adjacent to said pockets, and journal bearings formed on the underside of said frame.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a trolley frame comprising a pair of integrally connected side members, journal bearings formed on the upper portions of said side members, and journal bearings formed on the undersides of said members.

4. As a new article of manufacture, a trolley frame comprising a pair of integrally connected side .members, journal bearings formed on the upper portions of said side members, journal bearings formed on the undersides of said members, and a plurality of gear casings formed integral with said side members.

5. As a new article of manufacture, a trolley frame comprising integrally connected side members, journal bearings formed on the upper portions of said side members, journal bearings formed on the underside of said side members, and gear housings formed integral with said side members in combination with removable gear housings adapted to be secured to the upper portion of said casting.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature this 17th day of June, 1919.

KARL S. HOWARD. 

